Way of the Devil
chapter-751-30041322

The Green Branch Sect. Ten Thousand-ren Mountain.

Lu Sheng stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Haobai before a spinning map of the stars that was more than 10 meters tall.

The stellar map was round—a standard shape. It glowed faintly with silvery-blue, and countless stars flickered on it. It showed all of the main areas in this stellar zone.

In the upper right corner of the map was a small patch of red. The red triangular symbol of the Mother of Pain was labelled on it.

"My friend, your actions this time have satisfied the hearts of many. You've established a wide border across our five planets in one go. You've really passed like thunder and moved like the wind. Your powers are exceptional," Xu Haobai praised him with a smile.

"You're exaggerating. It's just unexpected, that is all. I might not show such good results the next time," Lu Sheng said with a smile. "They didn't expect me to use my Heavenly Devil's skill to conceal my own aura. That's how I managed to slip past their front and seal our victory. Also, they had their attention focused on the sect master and his deputies. They would never have expected me to be so bold as to strike at their rear."

"Even so, an achievement is an achievement. There's no need to be so humble about that, my friend. The Achievements Department have surely put this in records," Xu Haobai said with a smile. "Getting back on topic, this is our sect's headquarters, it's known as Ten Thousand-ren Mountain. I gather that this is your first time here. After meeting the sect master, I think you'll have time for some sightseeing."

"I'd like that." Lu Sheng nodded with a smile.

"Come with me, my friend." After Xu Haobai finished, white clouds gathered under his feet, and he rose into the air. He flew toward the snow-white Taoist pagodas on the Ten Thousand-ren Mountain.

Yellow Soil Qi gathered under Lu Sheng's feet. He followed closely behind.

Many disciples could be seen navigating their ways throughout the pagoda complex below. Cries of pegasii and other rare beasts could also be heard as they pulled various carts behind them through the air or landed with them.

As the two of them flew across the skies, the disciples below bowed their heads with respect toward the Taoist lord.

An irritated black lion was struggling furiously. It was about to raise its head to roar when Lu Sheng and Xu Haobai flew past in the sky above it.

The black lion shuddered. It quickly sprawled on the ground and dared not move another muscle.

It was only after the two Taoist lords entered the central pagoda with their domineering might that the black lion slowly got back up to its feet. It dared not let out another sound.

The two of them landed softly before a semispherical pagoda in the center. Several disciples knelt on the ground and saluted them.

A lanky Taoist with a beard merely bent his back.

"Greetings, Sect Master Xu, External Elder Lu. Mingjiu'zi sends his greetings."

"This is Mingjiu'zi, the sect master's great disciple. He's now at the peak of the Confusion Realm tier. He'll cross the final threshold soon, but we'll never know how many days that'll actually take…" Xu Haobai introduced this person to Lu Sheng as he pointed at him.

Lu Sheng nodded slightly at this person.

"Alright, bring us to Qingli," ordered Xu Haobai.

"Yes, the teacher has been expecting you. If you'd follow me, External Elder Lu," said the Taoist Mingjiu'zi respectfully.

Lu Sheng nodded. He entered the pagoda with Xu Haobai.

The white tiles on the floor shone like mirrors. Thick rock pillars stood out as they lined both sides of the walkway. Each rock pillar was at least five meters thick. Live black flood dragons coiled themselves around the pillars.

These flood dragons' heads and bodies were being held in place by Artifacts that appeared like nails. They could not move; they could not even make a sound.

A thick resentment hung in the air, mingled with the dense Origin Qi.

'What a grand display.' Lu Sheng could not help but feel awed when he saw this scene.

He did not know how powerful flood dragons were, nor had he faced one in battle before. However, he knew that they were extremely rare. To have captured this many to be used as decorations, the strength required aside, he was certain that this was the wealthiest person he had ever encountered.

The three of them walked past the flood dragon pillars. They soon reached the door to a stone hall deep within the pagoda.

The stone hall was decorated with colorful flowers. The stone floor was bare, but the flowers seemed to have extended their roots under it as they showed off their exceptionally brilliant colors.

Some of the flowers even crawled on the walls with their roots exposed in the air. It was as if they had laid down roots in the air itself.

A green-robed Taoist with a graceful figure sat with her back straight among the flowers.

The Taoist sat with her back facing them. Part of her long black hair was tied up, while the rest was allowed to fall loosely on her shoulders.

Her translucent and supple snow white skin could be seen between her green robes and long hair.

"Qingli, I've brought External Elder Lu here." Xu Haobai beamed as he strode into the stone hall. He found a spot with less flowers and sat down. He seemed perfectly at home.

"This is our sect master: Green Karma of the North Pole, Yuan Qingli."

"Thank you, Senior Apprentice Brother. I was recuperating in seclusion before this, and wasn't able to greet you in person. I hope you'll forgive me for that, my friend," said the sect master Yuan Qingli slowly. Her crisp voice rang clearly like the spirit of the dawn, or like the streams in the mountains; it was pure and spotless.

Lu Sheng was slightly surprised. He had heard about the heroic deeds and strategic mind of the Green Branch Sect's master before. He knew that the sect master was ambitious with constant efforts of expanding the sect's borders and establishing record-breaking achievements. He did not expect the sect master to be a female.

However, gender did not matter in the cultivation world—strength did. He quickly snapped back to the present.

"I don't mind at all. It's important that your wounds are tended to, Sect Master. Since I've joined the Green Branch Sect, and this is a warring period, it's crucial that we regain our strength first."

"I see you're a sensible person, External Elder Lu. Please, have a seat."

The Green Branch Sect's master finally turned around.

Where her facial features should have been, it was a smooth surface. There were no eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. Her face was a stretch of smooth skin.

Lu Sheng was no country bumpkin. He maintained his composure when he saw this. Like Xu Haobai, he found a vacant spot and sat down.

Lu Sheng remembered the faceless statue of a Taoist lord he saw when he first met Xu Haobai. He now had a guess who they were worshipping.

Yuan Qingli said nothing after he sat down. The silence continued on for a while.

Then, a handsome man in white feathered clothes floated down and into the stone hall. He sat cross-legged amid a cluster of black flowers.

"This poor Taoist's name is Huayun'zi. Greetings to you, Taoist Shun Ying."

"I'm honored to be in your presence, Sect Master Huayun'zi." Lu Sheng returned the courtesy.

When everyone had gathered, Yuan Qingli spoke slowly again.

"I have gathered everyone here today for two matters. The first one is to let Huayun'zi meet External Elder Lu in person."

When Lu Sheng heard this, he smiled at Huayun'zi again.

"The second matter is about the message we've received from the observation tower. There are dimensional contortions at the edge of the Yellow Springs Galaxy. Aboriginals of the galaxy have successfully escaped from the Yellow Springs Planet. They're now being hunted down by the World of Pain's army. Although we do receive reports of this nature every now and then, this time, it's different. Now that External Elder Lu has joined us, we might be able to turn this situation into a breakthrough," said Yuan Qingli slowly in her clear voice.

"A breakthrough, huh… I don't mind. After all, I'm from the Yellow Springs Planet myself," said Lu Sheng without a change in his expression.

"With the addition of External Elder Lu, the strength of our upper echelons has been raised by a notch. Perhaps we can attempt to attack the Yellow Springs Planet's headquarters," Huayun'zi suggested.

"Attack the headquarters?" Yuan Qingli muttered to herself. "The Mother of Pain and the other mysterious elites might appear to be working together, but they're just keeping up appearances. We might actually stand a chance…"

"In that case, we should come up with a well-rounded plan," suggested Xu Haobai.

"If we make our move in time, we might be able to do it. The Yellow Spring's Planet is the base of the World of Pain's structure. If it's in trouble, the World of Pain itself will be shaken." Yuan Qingli's voice weakened. She was clearly giving this serious consideration.

"From what I know, the Three Divine Gates did set up something on the Yellow Springs Planet. Perhaps we can work together with them. We can offer them some of the benefits to motivate them," said Lu Sheng.

"Oh? Is that so?" Sect Master Yuan Qingli's expression grew solemn.

"It is." Lu Sheng nodded.

"If that's the case, we have more space to maneuver." For a time, the natural look of surprise appeared on everyone's faces.

"I'll contact the Three Sacred Gate's Sect Master Li immediately. If the situation is just as you said, External Elder Lu, you've raked another huge achievement yourself."

"It's not as great as you say. Even if that's true, the sect master will still have to be the one to persuade the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates," said Lu Sheng with a smile.

***

Half a month later…

Great Song.

It had been more than a century since the last Devil Disaster. Once again, it made its way into the history books.

Great Song's royals picked themselves up. They led the new Nine Great Families of the Central Plains and established a new rule under the heavens.

After nearly a century of recuperating, the new Nine Great Families of the Central Plains became the pillars of the royal empire. The Shangyang Family, Lin Family, and Xu Family were members of the previous Nine Great Families of the Central Plains. They somehow managed to survive the disaster, and maintained their lineage.

The Hu Family, Duanmu Family, and the other families were the new generation that rose up from the ashes of the ruins. They formed the second layer.

Then there were the officials and the conglomerates who formed the third-layer families.

The entrance to the Devil World was closed off. Great Song regained their peaceful days.

***

"Sugar cakes! Get your sugar cakes for five copper coins! Get it for free if you don't like it! Come and get your sugar cakes!"

"I'll have one. Here's the money."

"Thank you, officer!"

On the flourishing street, a burly young man with a cold face stood there in his short brown leather jacket. He produced some money to purchase a brown sugar cake from the seller.

The man was handsome, and his sculpted body did attract attention. He had a domineering, vicious, ice-cold air about him. He was Lu Sheng, who had just smuggled himself through the Black Measure Web.

With sugar cake in hand, Lu Sheng looked around the streets of the city which resembled the one he remembered in Nine Links City when he was younger.

He could not help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

"Master, what do we do now?" Two dark-skinned men who were as big and tall as him followed behind him.

These two were Confusion Realm elites handpicked by the Green Branch Sect. Here, their names were Li Dong and Li Xi, respectively.

These were aliases, of course. Their appearance was also just a disguise they took on to escape the supervision of the Black Measure Web.

As a Heavenly Devil, Lu Sheng's ability to disguise himself was off the charts. It was a piece of cake for him to pass through a mere Black Measure Web.

"Let's take a look around for now. After all, we have time." Lu Sheng smiled. He projected his voice to them. "Our main objective is to locate the insider of the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates. Then, we'll use the secret code and communication Artifact we got from the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates and give the Mother of Pain a headache. From what the Three Sacred Spiritual Gates told us, their insider, the Three Sacred Gates had left the main sect many years ago. So, our priority now is to locate the Three Sacred Gates."

The two Confusion Realm subordinates merely nodded.

Lu Sheng continued, "There's no rush. This is my hometown. It's been a long time since I've been here. This sure brings back memories… Let me take a walk around these parts."

He truly was in no hurry. The Three Sacred Gates in Great Song on the Yellow Springs Planet was extremely mysterious. They would not be able to locate them unless through some Anomalies.

Even the Three Sacred Gates of Great Yin could not get a handle on the Three Sacred Gates here.